In-vivo imaging methods, such as performed by an in-vivo imaging system including an ingestible capsule, may be used to image body lumens within a patient. The imaging system may capture and transmit, for example, images of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to an external recording device, while the capsule passes through the GI lumen. The capsule may capture images in variable frame rates of, for example, 2-40 frames per second. Large numbers of images, for example 100,000 to 300,000 images, may be collected for viewing during the imaging procedure, and may also be viewed and/or processed in real time. The images may be combined in sequence, and an image stream or movie of, for example, 30-120 minutes in length, may be presented to a user.
The capsule may collect data from different points along a body lumen, for example lumens of the GI tract, and transmit the data externally for analysis and diagnosis. The GI tract is a very long and curvy path which usually includes GI content. Content within the body lumen may be any fluid, solid, liquid, gas, particle, feces, bile, or any substance that is not a permanent or stagnant substance within the body lumen.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0078300, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,567,692, assigned to the common assignee of the present application, discloses a system and method for detecting in-vivo content. The system may include in some embodiments an in-vivo imaging device for capturing a stream of image frames in a GI tract, a content detector for detecting and/or identifying one or more image frames from the stream of image streams that may show content, and a graphical user interface (GUI) to display image frames detected.